Lender's Pride - Zarin Daruwala

Indian business is going through a difficult time, but the woman in charge of corporate lending at the country's second-largest bank remains optimistic. "It is a difficult operating environment because of a policy paralysis," says ICICI Bank's Zarin Daruwala. She should know.

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After all, despite the tough environment, Daruwala, 47, managed to grow revenue from wholesale banking by 35 per cent in 2011/12 to over Rs 26,000 crore. In comparison, the bank's consolidated income rose just eight per cent.

Pre-tax profit from the segment jumped as well, by 27 per cent to Rs 6,208 crore. Indeed, corporate lending makes up more than half of the bank's consolidated profit. "Besides, the segment's asset book has been growing at more than 20 per cent," says Daruwala. She is not just expanding the balance sheet but also de-risking the portfolio by increasing the number of deals.